Brittany Zampella (Left) Maggie Hartmans (Right)
By Helen Quinn Pasin
A Good Neighbor is a feature-length documentary about Lucy Molina, a Latina single mother fighting against environmental racism and climate change as she campaigns for city council in one of the nation's most polluted zip codes.
The film begins with Molina in the car, giving one of her famous "Toxic Tours." As she drives by factories, highways, and the looming oil refinery, she speaks tearfully and candidly about her children's illnesses. "I moved here because of that park for my kids," she says at one point, "I didn't realize I was actually killing them." Molina's family health struggles: leukemia, brain cancer, migraines, bloody noses, and diabetes, combined with inaction from her local government, motivated her to set out on a courageous run for city council.
Lucy Molina with her two children
Told against the backdrop of Commerce City, Colorado—a designated sacrifice zone where rates of cancer and other illnesses linked to pollution exceed acceptable limits set by the government—the film follows Molina's fearless campaign, as she takes on issues like racism, sacrifice zones, climate policy, health bias, and just transition. Culminating in a nail-biting finale on election night, Lucy's story highlights a pressing global need for change and brings empathy to marginalized communities regardless of the election outcome.
Commerce City, Colorado
Co-directors Brittany Zampella and Maggie Hartmans tell One Earth Film Festival that A Good Neighbor was born out of a profound belief in the power of storytelling to inspire hope and activism. A local policy advocate connected the filmmakers to Molina due to her unique power to evoke empathy in the face of a challenge as immense as climate change. “We were incredibly moved by both the environmental injustices Lucy’s community is facing, as well as the passionate dedication Lucy has to fight those injustices,” says Zampella.
With only one week of preparation time, Zampella and Hartmans jumped on the opportunity to follow Molina’s campaign, in true indie “run-and-gun” filmmaking fashion. “Our favorite part of production overall was simply being around Lucy and capturing her story. We titled this film, A Good Neighbor because Lucy embodies what it means to take care of those around you. As you’ll see in the film, referring to her community as her “neighbors” is second nature to Lucy so it was incredibly inspiring to see her love in action as we followed her.”
Molina's activism against environmental injustice not only sheds light on the human face of climate change but also emphasizes the critical importance of community care and solidarity. Zampella and Hartmans recognize that addressing climate change often feels daunting. "Following Lucy taught us that even though we can’t fix the whole world, we can take care of our neighbors. And if we truly did that, we’d see profound care change for communities like hers that are disproportionately affected by environmental injustice.”
The profound impact of Lucy Molina's story in the documentary A Good Neighbor transcends the screen, leaving a lasting impression on both filmmakers and audiences alike. Zampella and Hartmans share that following Lucy dramatically humanized the issue of climate change for them too. “It taught us that climate issues are first and foremost about people, especially those already experiencing the unjust effects of pollution. Lucy lived only about 20 minutes from us, but we were shocked to learn that her zip code was once rated one of the most polluted in the nation and that the life expectancy of her community is 8 years shorter than the rest of the state. By highlighting these realities, we hoped that, regardless of where the audience might stand on various aspects of climate change, they would develop empathy for communities like Lucy’s that are experiencing these conditions and be inspired to take action on their behalf.”
A Good Neighbor is now available for community and education distribution through GoodDocs. Visit www.agoodneighborfilm.com to learn more.
A Good Neighbor screens on Friday, April 19 at 6 p.m. at the Kehrein Center for the Arts, Triton College, and Unity Temple. Reserve tickets now: https://www.oneearthfilmfest.org/films-az-2024/earthbound-nzambi-matee-a-good-neighbor